Whodunit?!

[Flockandfowl46]

There's some way I read that you could do something to their vents at night while on the roost to tell who lays what egg by color

There was another member posting about that topic awhile ago.. I thought it was a jjoke, but I was informed otherwise. Apparently what you do is choose a few colors of food coloring, squirt a few drops of one color inside the vent of each suspect hen before normal laying time, and wait to see which egg is stained what color. It works if you get the drops in there before they poop it all out, or it wont get on the eggs. And be ready for rainbow colored poop for a day or two.

Just remember which hen got which color. I'm sure it would dye the butt feathers a tiny bit, but it would eventually wear off, or molt off. It would probably only get on the fluffly feathers around the vent anyways. Let us know if you do it, and how it turns out, ok?

 

[Chick-N-Fun]

My lavender Orpington lays very pale eggs....almost cream colored, but smaller than the rest.....

I’ve tried using gel food coloring on the vents of my hens.....strangely, I only got bright pink and purple poop! Neither of the two EE left any color on the eggs......I had to catch them in the act of laying! Both of them lay very pretty blue eggs....

Is there any way you can divvy up your flock into two smaller groups? You can separate them based on the egg layers you know for sure, mixed with one or 2 that you are unsure of?

 

[Dona Worry]

Today's eggs. I am reasonably sure I know who the eggs in the row with the EE all belong to.

 

[Dona Worry]

I had totally accepted the egg was likely from Romana, the BA.
NOW it is just driving me crazy!
Susan-- right color, wrong time, wrong size.
The 3 Wyandottes-- wrong color, wrong size, but ok time.
UNLESS mysterious egg DOES belong to Romana. . . And the small brown egg to one if the Wyandottes??

 

[Dona Worry]

Can/do hens start laying before they wean their chicks? Is that a thing?

 

[aart]

Welp there is a SIXTH egg.
So, I definitely have a new layer-- but WHO!?

NOW it is just driving me crazy!

Time for nest stalking....like sitting in there all.day.long... to 'catch them in the act'.
Or you could go the lipstick in vent route

Can/do hens start laying before they wean their chicks? Is that a thing?

Rare, but it can happen.

 

[Col1948]

If you do go the lipstick in the vent route, don't let anyone see you doing it lol.

 

[TheLittleFarm18]

[QUOTE="Col1948, post: 20508114, member: 524538"]If you do go the lipstick in the vent route, don't let anyone see you doing it lol.[/QUOTE]
No you should totally video you doin this and share for all of us to see

 

[dunnmom]

I vote Buff Orpington. I have 6 and get many eggs that look like that one.

 

[deepbluesea]

My GLW sometimes laid eggs that were pinkish-chalky white. So maybe one of your new SLWs?